'They didn't die of the flu': Trump says Iran nuke deal 'hardliners' killed in strikes
The president said in a call with CNN that Iran should negotiate with the U.S. 'before it's too late.'
WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump called Israel's strikes in Iran "a very successful attack" that the U.S. "obviously" supports.
"We of course support Israel, obviously and supported it like nobody has ever supported it," Trump said on a brief phone call with CNN anchor Dana Bash.
After Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran's nuclear sites June 13, Trump said in a post online there "is still time" for Tehran to make a deal.
"There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end," Trump wrote. "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left."
The Trump administration has been negotiating with Iran over the country’s nuclear program, with the aim of preventing Iran from having nuclear weapon capability.
To Bash, Trump said Iran "should have listened."
"I don’t know if you know but I gave them a 60-day warning and today is day 61," the president said.
“They should now come to the table to make a deal before it’s too late. It will be too late for them. You know the people I was dealing with are dead, the hardliners,” he added. The strikes killed the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the country's top two military officials, in addition to several nuclear scientists.
Bash said she asked Trump if the people he “was dealing with” died as a result of Israel’s June 13 attack.
“They didn’t die of the flu,” he said, sarcastically. “They didn’t die of Covid.”
Contributing: Zac Anderson, Paste BN